12 Baby Hippo Pictures That Will Make You Smile In Ways You Never Knew Possible

Hippos have a bad rap, for some reason they are known to have bad temper, while they look so cute and you just want to cuddle with them, most people will not dare get close to the huge animal. But what about baby hippos? When a hippo is just a little baby, there’s nothing cuter! Just take a look at these baby hippo pictures we collected below and you will agree.

Fertilization results in a single calf weighing about 45 kg (99 pounds), born after a gestation of eight months. The calf can close its ears and nostrils to nurse underwater; it may climb onto its mother's back above the water to rest. It begins to eat grass by one month and is weaned at six to eight months of age. Cows produce a calf every two years. Young calves are vulnerable to crocodiles, lions, and hyenas. It is thought that attacks on small boats are antipredator behaviour, with the hippos mistaking the boats for crocodiles. As a result, hippos have long had a largely undeserved reputation as aggressive animals. Cows live in "schools," but they are not permanently associated with other cows, though sometimes they maintain bonds with offspring for some years. Longevity is up to 61 years in captivity but rarely more than 40 in the wild.